Well, after the torture of the past few days (it got worse, and should you ever be considering a long haul carrier, avoid Air New Zealand - lovely cabin crew but shockingly bad organisation, a rather alarming moment when, having had to commission a wide-bodied jet to accommodate passengers from TWO previous cancelled flights, we had to abort take off just before the point of no return, and whoever thought serving fish casserole on a jam-packed 3 hour flight would be a good idea needs their contract reviewed!), I am feeling somewhat refreshed. Booked into a nice hotel for a few days to 'recover' before I move on to a little studio apartment I have rented in Bondi.
Sydney. Very warm, very humid, very exciting to be here. I'd forgotten the parakeets in the trees, sqawking and darting about above my head. Have walked my hind legs off already - went and got a pay-as-you-go mobile sorted by a lovely young woman from Ireland of all places, and I was her first ever customer; went to Emirates Airline to see if I can sort a decent seat for the journey home; went to the Sydney Telegraph office to see how I can access their archive/speak to anyone who might be interested to help. And walked. And walked. Then decided to buy a week's travel pass, as the humidity means I won't be wearing this t-shirt tomorrow!
I need to call the Telegraph's switchboard tomorrow and see if I can get anywhere, but it was also suggested I try the State Library. Which I did - consequently, I am now the proverbial kid in a candy store. Wonderfully helpful staff sorted out a membership card and introduced me to the delights of the reference library and Mitchell Library. They have copies of all local and national newspapers on film, which means access to all the newspaper coverage of the Marathon, both in Sydney and across the country, AND I can save as much as I want to my USB stick. They also have copies of a few books I haven't been able to access before, so I know what I'll doing tomorrow morning! Mind you I also need to procure another pair of shoes or sandals - the problem with only having one pair of shoes means, especially after travelling for 24 hours, it is inadvisable to remove them in company, polite or otherwise, unless one is happy to see all in the immediate environment instantly asphyxiate. Like poison gas!
Also on my 'to do' list is seeing and interviewing various 'marathoniers' - Max Stahl, who was one of the Mercedes Benz crews in '68, has been incredibly helpful and has suggested I expeditiously rent a car and drive up to where he is north of Newcastle, then onwards to the Gold Coast to see a few others before taking the Pacific Highway back to Port Macquarie, Taree, Central Coast for more interviews before returning to Sydney. If all works according to his suggestion (and deft brokering!), I will be able to see approx. ten of the Aussie competitors, which is more than I could have ever expected - and still he has more ideas for Melbourne. Deeply humbling. I therefore need to work out an itinerary pretty sharpish, plus sort out a rental car and accommodations. This is all very exciting, to put it mildly! However, it does look like I'll have to miss Mardi Gras, although given that it took Rob to point out that I would be in Sydney during Mardi Gras (I had no idea), it's a miniscule price to pay to realise my mission - the State Library woman even suggested I try and get a publisher in Australia if England doesn't pan out, and with a twinkle in her eye, pointed out that the Library also accepts unpublished manuscripts!
On a seperate and social note, I had a lovely natter on the phone last evening with an old friend Kim, who I met while at drama school between 1998 and 2000. The plan is to meet for dinner at some point, as apparently there is a tradition that new visitors to Sydney must be given the opportunity to have dinner overlooking the Harbour Bridge and/or Opera House during their stay! It was a real treat to talk with Kim again - amongst a sea of 'drama school lovies', she was a lovely, down-to-earth Aussie who kept me chuckling through a couple of really difficult years.
So, much to do... and how fortunate am I?
Strewth!
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